As technologies further advance, a variety of electronic devices, such as mobile phones, tablet PCs, digital cameras, MP3 players and/or the like, have become popular. Each electronic device requires direct current power at a substantially constant voltage which may be regulated within a specified tolerance even when the current drawn by the electronic device may vary over a wide range. In order to maintain the voltage within the specified tolerance, a power converter (e.g., a switching dc/dc converter) coupled to the electronic device provides very fast transient responses, while keeping a stable output voltage under various load transients.
Hysteretic-based power converter control schemes such as the constant on-time scheme can enable power converters to provide fast transient responses. A buck converter employing the constant on-time control scheme does not require an error amplifier. In fact, a simple constant on-time circuit may only comprise a feedback comparator and an on-timer. In operation, the feedback circuit of the power converter (e.g., buck converter) directly compares a feedback signal including both dc and ripple voltages with an internal reference. When the feedback signal falls below the internal reference, the high-side switch of the power converter is turned on and remains on for the on-timer duration. As a result of turning on the high side switch, the inductor current of the power converter rises. The high-side switch of the power converter turns off when the on-timer expires, and does not turn on until the feedback signal falls below the internal reference again. In summary, when the constant on-time control scheme is employed in a power converter, the on-time of the high-side switch of the power converter is terminated by the on-timer. The off-time of the high-side switch of the power converter is terminated by the feedback comparator.
The power converters employing the constant on-time control scheme are simple to design. However, the constant on-time control scheme has an unwanted behavior. In particular, a power converter employing the constant on-time control scheme may enter a burst mode (skipping pulses) when it operates under light load conditions. The burst mode may generate an excessive ripple voltage at the output of the power converter. Such an excessive ripple voltage is not preferable in many applications.
It would be desirable to provide an apparatus and/or a method for enabling the power converters employing the constant on-time control scheme to avoid the burst mode under light load conditions.